In the shadows of the night
by Nina Vale
Summary: It's been three years since the defeat of Blood Spiral Brotherhood and Casterwills are out of hiding,working alongside the Huntik Foundation and Sophie is finally learning about her ancestry, but when a sudden wave of disappearances around London area indicate seekers' involvement the Elders sent her over to e truth however is much more dangerous than anybody imagined
1. Chapter 1: The Investigation begins

**Disclaimer: I do not own Huntik. It belongs to Rainbow and Big Bocca. All songs/poems ect shall be credited on the end of the chapter(s).**

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><p><em>From Dusk till Dawn, beware night's call<em>

_For nightmare's rise, when shadows fall_

_The restless dead and souls forsaken _

_From their deadly sleep awaken_

_And things that shun the light of day_

_Prowl the night in search of pray_

_-From Dusk till Dawn, Nox Arcana(Transylvania) _

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><p><strong>London, England <strong>

She stumbled into yet another street of this foreign city and leaned against the wall. She was so exhausted, everything hurt and she could barely stand but she pushed herself away from the wall and walked on. She tripped and fell, but got up and did not stop. She didn't know if her enemies were after her or not. She couldn't afford any chances, so she went on. She kept repeating herself that everything will be fine, that she'll find someone who will help her. She tripped again but this time she regained her balance. She turned around the corner and her eyes lit up when she saw a light in one of the windows. She walked closer to the building and read the inscription engraved on small golden plate by the door. _Post Street Museum_. It seemed to be closed, but the light was on so maybe there was somebody there. She had to try. Especially since she didn't feel like she could go any further. She pressed the button.

"_Yes?_" spoke a slightly nervous male voice.

"P-please" she croaked. Her voice was weak and hoarse "help me"

"_W-who is it?_" asked the unsure voice on the other side

"Please" she repeated, her voice cracking at the end. She was near tears "help me, please"

"_Tersely?_" now another voice came in. It also belong to a man, but more rough and older, with strong Scottish accent"_what's going on?_"

"Help me" she croaked again in hopes that this newcomer will open the door "please..."

There was silence. She waited. She stumbled. She couldn't even stand up straight. Luckily her hands found the wall and she leaned against it. In that moment the door opened and the warm light sept through. She raised her eyes and saw a portly middle-aged man with mousy hair and beard. There was a young man with red hair and glasses lurking behind him, looking at her with terror in his eyes. The big man's eyes too winded when he saw her.

"Oh my god!" he exclaimed in his booming voice. She stepped closer towards him, wanting to say something, to explain but the exhaustion and her wounds caught up with her. Her vision darkened and she fell into the abyss.

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><p><strong>Venice, Italy <strong>

Sophie Casterwill reached for another book from the pile before her, opened it and started to scribble down the notes. She was nearing the end of the notebook. Which one was it? She glanced over at one of the walls. There were whole two book stands of her notes divided into different sections. History of her family, secret powers, regular powers, forbidden powers...she had it all there. She smiled a little. This was the work of the last three years. She also had all those notes on on her Cypherdex. She just kept them handwritten just in case. Cypherdex could get destroyed or stop working when a spell hit it. In that case she needed backup to quickly put all the information back on it without having to pull down all the books and type everything from scratch all over again. In that moment there was a soft knock on the door.

"M'lady Sophie?" said LeBlanche from the other side "I am very sorry to interrupt your studying but your family has arrived"

The girl imminently sprung to her feet. She had totally forgot that today she had a meeting with her family. Then again this meeting was called so suddenly that she really had the right to forget. For last three years she'd worked on a tight schedule to make all ends meet. Despite the Blood Spiral and Nullifier threat being over, she still was very busy. The leadership of Casterwills, school, learning new powers and family secret and on top of that missions. It took a lot of her time. She barely even went on Foundation missions, unless they were really important. And she had to eat, sleep and rest too. So schedule and things happening on time was important to her. And her family called her only yesterday to call the meeting. Or rather announce they'd be coming. There was no wonder she'd forgotten!. However them calling upon her so suddenly meant that they had something important to say. She couldn't just tell them to go. She therefore tidied up her desk the best she could and headed for the door. LeBlanche was waiting outside, tall and straight as ever.

"Sorry" she said "let's go"

He nodded and turned around leading the way. They passed few corridors and stopped before a large white door craved with golden family crests and symbols. This was the Conference Room. She opened the door and entered a spacious room, with white tilled floor and red walls decorated with portrays of notable family members and previous Elders. On the other side there was a row of windows with red drapes on the side, and in the middle stood a round oak table with six chairs by it. Her family has already taken their places. As soon as she walked in they stood up and regarded her with bows. She replied accordingly and took her place at the head of the table. The rest sat down as well.

"I am sorry" she said smiling "but I was a little busy in the library, and since the meeting was called so suddenly..."

"Our apologies" said Teien "but it is really important"

Sophie nodded

"So I thought" she said "now tell me what is it about?"

"I don't suppose you have heard, but there have been some disappearances around London lately. At first we didn't pay attention to it, but right now we've received information that made us think it might be work of some rouge seekers" said Teien and then proceeded to explain about a young girl that came knocking on Post Street Museum's door.

"Is the girl alright?" asked Vivian quietly. Teien's face fell and she shook her head

"Alas, she'd died. Foundation experts tried to do their best but she was seriously hurt and exhausted. They've failed to save her"

A grim silence fell over the room. Everyone bowed their heads, thinking about the innocent life that had been lost.

"However" continued Teien "she did mange to tell us something. Before she died she mentioned magic and monsters. That's why we believe that seekers might be responsible, and the monsters she referred to are actually evil titans"

Sophie nodded her head slowly. That was a logical explanation. At the same time a shiver run down her spine at the thought of group of seekers cruel enough to torture and kill people. She would gladly believe that her kind wasn't capable of such things but the experience with Blood Spirals and even Klaus and his crazy experiments taught her that it is very possible.

"And that's why we came here" continued Teien waking her from her thoughts "we have to do something about it. Of course Foundation has already been informed and they've told their agents to keep their eyes opened, but they cannot send everyone over there. They cannot cancel all missions. Besides it's our duty as Casterwills to act"

Sophie couldn't have agreed more. This was after all the reason she brought the family back into the light. So with the support of Huntik Foundation, they can return to their duty-protecting the world from evil.

"We would like you to look into it Lady Sophie" said the Japanese woman "as our leader and the most capable person..."

The girl stayed silent for a while before speaking.

"Of course" she said "I'll gladly take this mission on. Am I doing this alone or coming with some other family members?"

"We would prefer if you took others with you" said Teien "this mission can turn out dangerous, and there is a lot to do. Foundation has promised us their help of course but it'll be safer"

Sophie nodded.

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><p><strong>London, England <strong>

Sophie, Lucas and Vivian walked out of the Heathrow airport into the cloudy weather of London City. Sophie hauled a cab, they quickly got in and the girl gave the driver the address of the safe house they've been staying in. They've soon arrived at the spot. It was a gray semi-detached house, with white wooden windows and red door. In front of it was a small flower garden and a short shrubbery. Sophie pulled out the key and opened the door entering the house with Lucas and Vivian close behind her. Inside the house was simple yet cosy and tasteful. On the two sides of the short hallway were doors to the kitchen and the living room. The latter was furnished with two armchairs, a sofa and a small coffee table with latte coloured rug underneath. On the opposite wall there was a fireplace with a small flat TV above it. On the right to the fireplace was the exit to the back garden. There were also some pictures on the wall, here and there. Nothing too spectacular or arts. Just some watercolours portraying London's streets.

The kitchen was spacious and bright. It's walls and floor were inlaid with sand-coloured tiles. There was a square table in the middle, with four chairs made out of pine wood. Then there was the actual kitchen, with the small cooker and sink. Above it were two pine wood cupboards. After inspecting the ground floor the three seekers headed upstairs where the bathroom and their bedrooms were located. The three rooms were all pretty much the same. White walls, fitted carpet in cream colour. They all had just one bed a night stand with a chest of drawers and a small table and chair. In all the walls had a similar pictures to the ones downstairs, only portraying gardens and flowers instead of streets. The windows were draped in white hangings.

There was only one bathroom, inlaid with white tiles from top to bottom, with a shower cabin, sink, toilet and washing machine. There was also a radiator for towels and a three hangers for the clothes and bathrobes.

The three Casterwills quickly settled in, and after quick showers and unpacking they sat down in the living room in order to discuss their mission.

"Let's sum up what we know so far" said Sophie pulling out her Cypherdex "there have been four confirmed disappearances but we have to look into every other case in and around London. It's going to be a lot of work but we can't take any chances"

The other two nodded their heads. They decided they they'll go to Montehue and Tersely first to hear the story from them before moving further and checking other people. Soon they were at Post Street Museum's doorstep. Tersely was the one to open the door and greeted them with a small shy-smile.

"Come in" he said stepping aside in order to let them in "Montehue awaits you in his office"

They followed his lead. As they passed the long corridors of the museum a wave of nostalgia washed over Sophie. Memories of her and Huntik Team's visit flooded her mind. Here she and Lok told each other about their parents, she about how museums and art make her feel closer to he mother, he about how he wished he'd found about his father sooner. Here also they've got their first glimpse of the Guardians of Thor. She smiled a little remaindering how they'd tried to stalk the man. A shiver of excitement she'd felt back then run down her spine again.

"Here" said Tersely waking her from her thoughts and opening the door letting her and the other two into a small but spacious office, filled with all sorts of artefacts. Montehue was sitting down behind a small wooden desk. When he saw Sophie a broad smile graced his harsh features.

"Lassie!" he exclaimed getting up "I haven't seen you in ages. Since the battle with the Spirals I think"

"Yeah" she nodded "I'm sorry. I was so busy lately..."

"I understand, I understand" he waved her off "you're the Queen now. You have a lot of responsibilities"

She smiled at him but soon her face became more serious.

"Montehue" she said "we came here, as you know to learn something more about the incident..."

Montehue's face fell as she spoke and his eyes filled with sadness and gloom.

"The incident" he muttered "yes, of course. Please sit down"

The three Casterwill sat down on the couch by the wall.

"So" said Montehue "you want to know about that lass, well.." he paused "me and Tersely were studying some artefacts and manuscripts Foundation have send us. Nothing major. Just the usual research. I was here, Tersely was in his room"

He and Tersely retold their encounter with the girl

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><p><em>She fainted and I caught her. I quickly told Tersely to call for help. She was seriously hurt. She had multiply bruises and cuts on her body. There was a huge gash on her abdomen. It looked like some wild animal had done it. Some of the bruises too didn't look like anything any human could've done. That's why we've called for Foundation. That and the marks. I've noticed there were some symbols in blue ink on her wrists and neck. She also kept mumbling about magic and monsters.<em>

_ I laid her down on the couch and brought some water. She opened her eyes and imminently I saw fear in them. She grabbed my arm.. _

"_Please don't let them get me!" she croaked out "don't let them get me!" _

"_Who?" I asked "who cannot get you?"_

"_Them! Those...those wizards!" she said "they have magic and monsters and they will kill me! Please don't let them get me. Please"_

"_We won't" I promised "now please calm down"_

_She however couldn't she kept repeating about the monsters, magic and how she'd be dead if they find her..._

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><p>"Then the agents came in and I was thrown out of the room" sighed Montehue "after some time,-I don't really know how long it was-they came out shaking their heads. They tried to use spells on her but she died in the process" he fell silent after saying this, bowing his head. His three guests too didn't say a word and sat with their heads low.<p>

"Do..do you remember how those marks looked like?" Lucas was the first one to get his voice back. Montehue shook his head.

"I didn't have the time" he said "I just know they were strange. Now I know many young people have tattoos of runes, kanji, Chinese symbols, Sanskrit, Arabic and Hebrew as well as any other languages, but this didn't look like anything like that. It wasn't a tattoo like the ones they make in the pallors. It was something made by magic"

"Thank you" said Sophie "you were great help none the less. We'll ask the doctors who attended to her about the signs. Maybe they would know, if not we'll go and check it ourselves"

Montehue nodded. Sophie and her teammates stood up then and he walked them to the door.

"If you had any trouble or needed anything I'm here" he assured them

"Thank you" said the Casterwill Queen "we're very grateful Montehue and it was so nice to see you again"

The man smiled a little, and with that the Casterwills left.

"Now let's go to the doctors" said Sophie "they should be in London's HQ"

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><p>The visit to HQ wasn't as successful and didn't yield such promising results as Sophie had hoped. The agents only added few new facts, such as the cause of death and that the magic had defiantly been used on the girl. They've also taken down the strange marks but unfortunately they weren't able to tell anything about them. Only that the experts are still working on them, but it's not any seeker magic that they've dealt with before.<p>

"Maybe you'll give them to us. Our Casterwill records might hold the answer" proposed Sophie.

"Sure" said the agent "I'll bring you the papers"

With that she disappeared in the depths of the HQ. She returned after a while with a sheet of paper.

"Here" she said passing it to Sophie

The Casterwill girl looked down, her eyes moving across the lines of symbols. Her brow furrowed. She certainly haven't seen anything like this before.

"Thank you" she said putting the sheet into her bag "we'll be in contact. If we find something we'll inform you. If you find you'll call us"

The agent nodded her head, once more expressing her good wishes and how happy and honoured she was to have met the famous Sophie Casterwill and her family.

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><p>"Nothing" sighed Sophie with frustration looking at the holographic screen of her Cypherdex "there is nothing on the Cypherdex about these symbols"<p>

For past hour she had been checking the paper and symbols. To no avail. The girl looked outside. It was getting dark. She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out another sigh.

"Lady Sophie, maybe we should take a break" suggested Vivian with a hit of worry in her voice "I'm sure tomorrow we'll be able to look at things in better light"

A faint smile appeared on Sophie's face at the joke and she nodded.

"You're right Vivian" she said "let's call it a day"

With that she shut down the holotome, and all three rose from their seats heading for their rooms.

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><p>While the three Casterwills slept in their safe house, in completely different part of London a group of people gathered inside a large Gothic mansion. One of them was a man, very handsome man with long reddish-brown hair and light-brown eyes. His flat eyebrows were now knitted in clear disapproval.<p>

"Boss won't be happy" he said lowly glaring at the four figures before him "she won't be happy at all, when she comes back and finds out what's happened"

"We just wanted to prove ourselves" said one of the figures meekly "we just wanted to show we can do it"

"And a wonderful job you did of it" said the man. An unpleasant silence filled the room when the last words left his lips. All figures were looking at each other, shifting uncomfortably.

"We won't let it happen again" said another one of them bowing their heads.

"I certainly hope so" said the man coolly "or else there will be consequences. The meeting is over for now"

The figures nodded mumbling something and the man spun around and left closing the door behind him.

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><p><strong>I do not know if it's good start or not, but here it is. I decided to rewrite the story a little bit...<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Plot thickens

_**Ireland**_

Siobhan looked out of the window. The green hills and country roads behind her window were drained in the heavy rain. She put her hands on the window and pulled the handle opening it. She closed her eyes and put her hands on the window still letting the cool air hit her face. She breathed in. A small smile appeared on her face. The smell of Ireland. That uniqiue smell of rain, flowers, grass and country roads. Someone might've said that it smelled the same everywhere on the planet but it was not true. The grass here was Irish grass, the roads were Irish roads. The flowers. Everything was IRISH. She could never stress it enough and she wanted to remember it. In few days she was going to London for a trip. She knew it wouldn't be long. Just two weeks and she was excited for it but the air still would be different. And breathing in calmed her down and toned down her powers. She needed to have them in check. They had a strange habit of randomly activating lately, and it already attracted people's attention. Siobhan didn't WANT this attention. Not only because she would possibly be called a freak, or people would want to use her. There were bigger issues than hyped or scared people. Like hyped people from magical world. She wasn't a conceited person but she knew her powers were in price. She let out a deep sigh and closed the window. Slipping down. She better starts packing...

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><p><em><strong>Venice, Italy<strong>_

Dante opened the door to his house and entered. A small smile appeared on his face as his eyes swept over the familiar surroundings. He hadn't been home for ages. Or rather for what seemed like ages, due to the Huntik Council meeting in New York. Usually the meetings were conducted from homes and bureaus, however once in a while there was a bigger meeting held in the International HQ. A shadow passed through his face at the thought of the news he'd learned.

"Dante" he was woken from his thoughts by Zhalia, who had just entered the room. He turned to her and gave her a small smile. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands went down to her waist brining her closer

"Hey" he greeted her "I missed you"

"I missed you too" she admitted. After a while he let her go, allowing her to step away.

"So?" she asked "how was the meeting? You were discussing these disappearances?"

Dante nodded, the previous gloom expression making it's way onto his face again.

"Yes" he said "Council is in a turmoil. They've thought that after the fall of Blood Spirals and after Organization lost it's importance the threat is gone"

"Foolish thing to think" she said "Nature abhors the vacuum"

A brief smile appeared on Dante's face before he grew serious again.

"There are two theories" he said heading for the armchair and flopping down on it "one that it's an old group of seekers that had not been detected up until now, which is worrying because it means they won't be easy to find and get to know. The second theory states that it's a relatively new group that was established in course of last two or three years maximum, which is worrying since despite the slip up they seem to be pretty well organized and powerful. They have not been caught and we don't even know how many people did they take"

Zhalia nodded

"They did bring quite an attention to themselves though" she said "and I don't mean just us"

Dante blinked and gave her a quizzical look.

"Our people" she said "mostly of course London Clan, as it's happening on their territory but Nina and Damian joined in as well. Nina have called me, a day ago or so to tell me that. The Clan apparently believes there is a third possibility..."

"Non-seeker magic?" Dante's words came out more in form of statement that a question. He himself had thought of such a solution. Council might've been bend and focused on seeker world, preferring for now to ignore and still separate themselves from the other members of wider magical world, but the fact remained. This world was out there and they needed to acknowledged It, or else they would find themselves in peril sooner or later. And it seemed like this peril could just be on their doorstep. He turned to Zhalia and caught her eye. She was thinking the same thing as him. Things could and possibly did get much more dangerous that anybody could've imagined.

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><p><em><strong>London England <strong>_

Sophie and her two companions sat down once again to discuss their mission. During the last two days they've been running around, collecting information and looking at missing person's reports in order to find something that would help them. There have been few other disappearances that seemed to fit their case but nothing more. And the abductions still seemed so random. Sure there were some similarities, between them like most of the disappeared where girls and all of the people had been young and didn't come from London, but otherwise than that nothing really stood out that much. At least from the reports.

"What is the motive here?" asked Vivian "I just don't understand Lady Sophie"

Sophie shrugged

"I don't know either Vivian" she said "but we'll get there. It's only been two days. The Foundation agents are still deciphering those tattoos and we're going out today. We'll ask around. Someone is bound to know something more. Something they forgot or couldn't tell the police"

Both of her kin nodded. That sounded logical and possible. If those people were seekers or had some magic in them they surely didn't go around telling everybody, and those who knew wouldn't give anything out to the police. They could however share it with The Casterwill family and Huntik Foundation. They therefore closed the Cypherdex and headed outside. They hauled a taxi

"First stop the Gana Café" said Sophie as they got inside.

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><p>"Well, thank you" said Sophie nodding at the young waitress before her "it was very helpful of you"<p>

"I'm sorry I couldn't be much of a help" sighed the girl looking very apologetic "but as I said. I only remember that girl sitting there with her friends, laughing. She was showing them this new tattoo she's got and that was all"

"You've been great help" smiled Sophie "we appreciate every bit of an information"

The girl smiled back and then excusing herself with work and customers, she left.

"So" said Sophie as she Lucas and Vivian also left "the girl was showing off her tattoo, and then she is kidnapped. Someone must've listened in on her conversation, and saw her showing of her tattoo..."

"And since they've been looking for someone with it" added Lucas "they followed after and when the occasion came by they snatched her"

"But they they discovered she wasn't the one" continued Sophie "the tattoo wasn't magical, and they went after our latest victim. It's now clear those signs must mean something very important. Now we know they're looking for a certain person or group of specific people"

The other two nodded. This little lead, as much as it lengthened up their road, has also uncovered new questions. They were even more curious about the meaning of the signs and the person or persons who wore them. What made them so special? The plans of their mysterious enemy also were much more interesting now. What did those people really want and planed to do? Preoccupied by such thoughts they moved to another check point on their list.

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><p>Sophie sighed deeply and squeezed the bridge of her nose. They've been cursing the city for hours, asking people around, making calls in between. And they didn't really find anything new. No one saw anything suspicious or if someone saw anything it wasn't of much use. No one saw anyone following after the victims, no one could tell if victims belonged to some secret group. No one seemed to know about magical world. At least from the people they've asked so far. They still had some calls to make and talk to other friends and families. Now however was a little too late to be doing that.<p>

"Let's wrap" said Sophie at length "we need energy for tomorrow. Let's go home"

Vivian nodded and smiled a little. She tried not to show it, but she was exhausted. She rarely left her cave and was unused to the pace of the mission and traveling so far. They turned around the next corner and Sophie took her mobile out in order to call taxi when suddenly they heard a short scream and a wave of magical energy hit them. The Casterwill queen at once switched her phone off. She exchanged looks with her companions and all three of them broke into the run. They dashed through the street and turned around the corner running into some dead-end or empty back yard. They at once saw a young girl with long hair in shades of flame. From red to yellow. She was barely conscious and horribly bruised and beaten. They at once found themselves by her side.

"Are you ok?" asked Sophie worriedly "can you hear me?"

The girl let out a ragged breath and opened her eyes, with visible difficulty.

"N-No" she said "keep away..."

"We're not going to harm you" assured her Sophie "we're your friends. We're going to help you..."

"N-no" repeated the girl "k-keep away...y-you'll get hurt too..."

Sophie was just about to open her mouth to tell the girl she, Lucas and Vivian can take care of themselves when the sounds of footsteps. She and the others turned around and saw a group of three people. Two women and one man. all dressed in what could be described as waiter's suits. White shirts, black west and pants, and red ribbon like bow ties. The women were wearing high heel boots while the man was wearing shoes.

"Step away from the girl. She's ours" said one of the women. She had very short hair and clearly Japanese features.

"And what if we won't?" asked Sophie glaring at her.

"Then you'll be sorry _princess_" said another woman. This one had pale skin, long auburn hair and chocolate eyes. The Casterwill girl narrowed hers and furrowed her brow. She hated when people used that mocking tone with her. Like she was some little miss prissy at school and not actual queen of the most powerful and notable seeker family.

"We might just take that chance" she growled. The woman raised her eyebrow and then looked at her two companions. The Japanese woman nodded her head and all three jumped at the Casterwills. Lucas ended up facing against the Japanese woman, Sophie against her auburn-haired companion and Vivian against the only man in the group. She glared at him and lowered her stance. He raised his black eyebrow and an amused glint appeared in his deep-blue eyes.

"Stop" she said trying to sound threatening and fearless, like a true Casterwill would. Like Lady Sophie always did. Her opponent however didn't seem to be much impressed by that.

"Adorable" he said dryly, before reaching behind his back and drawing out a baton.

Nearby Sophie rolled away from her opponent. The Japanese woman smiled a little and attacked again, raising her leg to kick the Casterwill girl in the face. The caramelette ducked, but her eyes winded a second later when she saw few strands of her hair falling before her eyes. Her gaze went down to her opponent's heels and she almost gasped at the sight of blades coming from their back. The woman smiled

"Drop-dead heels huh?" she asked sending another kick. Sophie backed away, but not fast enough. The blade still managed to cut her blouse and collarbone, causing blood to trickle down her neck. She let out a hiss and glared at her enemy.

"You've done it this time" she growled launching at the smirking woman.

Lucas bend down avoiding the steel claws of his enemy. He jumped away and sighed. He really wanted to call Templar or Feyone but he knew it was too early and despite the seclusion of the dead end it was still to close to people's homes and to the city. They couldn't risk the witnesses coming out and getting involved. He made another dodge, causing the woman to scratch the nearby wall. It created unpleasant, dull sound. She growled and followed after him. They exchanged few more air punches and kicks, both trying to gain the high ground.

Vivian yelped falling onto her back. She quickly whispered Nibblefire, to get herself away from her attacker. The man smirked

"I always love it when my opponent plays along" he said chuckling "or tries. It makes the game so much more interesting"

With that he attacked again. Vivian barely blocked him, with Honourguard. She winced, risking a glance at Sophie and Lucas. She so wished she could use Mytras. It would make things so much easier. She grimaced pouring more energy into the shield, in order to stop the ongoing blows of her enemy.

Sophie turned around to check on her brother and cousin. Things didn't look good. Their enemies were well trained, faster and defiantly not as tired. Also she, Lucas and Vivian couldn't use their titans. She once more faced her enemy, glaring at the woman, and Kindlestrike shot out of her hand. The older female only smirked and put her hand in front of herself. She caught the spell, gathered it on her hand and threw it back. Sophie flew across the battlefield and landed few meters away. The impact of the fall knocked the air out of her, sending a wave of pain through her body. She grimaced. She could see black and white dots before her eyes.

"Sophie! Lady Sophie!" cried Vivian and Lucas in union, turning around to her. That was their own undoing. Vivian's Honourguard broke, and her enemy punched her hard in abdomen. Lucas let out a gasp, which soon turned into hiss of pain when his opponent's claws made contact with his skin. He grimaced making two steps back and quickly glancing down at his side. He had a gash there. Right across the ribs. Luckily it wasn't very deep, given the woman's weapon of course.

"Now let's finish it off" said the Japanese woman exchanging glances with her two companions "shall we?"

With that she moved on to attack when suddenly she stopped. The other two did the same. They all looked around. As if they expected something. And something was coming. The Casterwills could feel it too. A dark power. The street lights begun to flicker. Lucas eyes winded. This couldn't be possible. It would be too big of a coincidence. Too great twist of fate. However it was all true. In a second another person appeared in the alley. A tall man, with long flaxen hair. He was dressed in heavy black coat, with metallic button up, and long boots. He made one more step. And then...it was just a flick of second. He jumped forward. The Japanese woman and her friends tried their best to stop him but they were soon lying on the ground. Unconscious or dead. The fair-haired man walked up to them, glaring at them with ice-cold expression on pale face.

"Hey, don't kill them off" came another voice. The man turned there, and so did the tree Casterwills. There was a woman standing there. She had long black hair and was dressed in a brown jacket with furry collar, boots and tight jeans "we need them. At least one"

The male vampire growled but said nothing to it. He then turned to the Casterwills. Sophie and Vivian flinched and a spell appeared in older girl's hand, but the vampire paid little attention to her actions. He didn't even come her way. He instead appeared by Lucas, with a very worried expression. He at once tore off a piece of his coat and wrapping it around the Casterwill's wound.

"You alright?" he asked softly. Lucas nodded. The blood wasn't flowing anymore and he was feeling less dizzy. He even could use Everfight later on.

"We should get you somewhere safe. Lilly" continued the vampire, and turned to the woman "you get the goons when the rest arrives. I'll take the car and these three"

Lilly, who had by this time also walked up closer nodded.

"Sure" she said.

"Hey!" cried Sophie "what about us? Why do you think we would go with you?"

The black-haired vampiress turned to her

"For starters we have saved your life" she said "but if that doesn't work for you then look around. Check your situation. Do you think, you have another choice?"

The Casterwill heiress was about to protest but she closed her mouth and looked away. That woman was right. She had no other choice. Lucas and Vivian couldn't fight. They had no chance. And Lucas was wounded. They needed help. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She hated being defeated like that. It was untrue to Casterwill ideals.

"Leave it Sophie" said Lucas, who was on his feet again, supported by the flaxen-haired vampire "they won't harm us. It's better we go with them"

She looked at him and sighed with defeat. In that moment she remembered the girl they've been trying to save and turned around. She was lying limp on the ground, pale as snow.

"We'll take care of her too" said Lilly "and we won't harm her" she added.

Sophie sent her a doubtful look but didn't say anything, following the unnamed male vampire and her brother, to the car.

* * *

><p><em><strong>In a different part of London...<strong>_

"WHAT?" yelled the red-haired man "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU. CAN'T YOU PEOPLE DO ANYTHING RIGHT?"

The man he had been yelling at bowed his head. He knew they screwed up big time.

"I'm sorry" he muttered

"That isn't going to cut it" growled the redhead "now go before I lose myself and bloody kill you"

The man nodded and quickly left the room. The red-haired male was now alone. He sighed, running his hands through his hair.

'Boss will be furious' he thought

* * *

><p><strong>Uff. Here it is. I don't know about the ending but whatever. Sorry for such long delay. It's over a month now. But I was focusing on other things and had no idea how to plan this one out. Couldn't decide if I should throw Ireland in or not, and then I started writing Tauradonna stuff from RWBY, and then I got into Freefonix again, and yeah long story short I got a bit distracted. And yeah Sio is here. Yay :D And Damian as you see too. Prepare for some family fluff.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: The London Clan

**London, England **

Sophie and Vivian waited for the vampire-whose name they still didn't know- to open the door to a rather inconspicuous dark-blue car. Vivian looked at her cousin and Sophie felt her heart drop at the expecting look in younger girl's eyes. Vivian so believed they would bail out, that she-the leader- has a plan to run away and break from their captors. But she had nothing. She couldn't do anything to save them. She let out a sigh and stepped into the car, not even looking at the ginger haired girl. She couldn't bare to see the disappointment and to know she'd failed. One thing bothered her though. Lucas. She knew her brother to be quite distrusting. Even more than her. He didn't trust Lok, he didn't trust Dante and for quite some time. This time however he seemed to be alright with what was going on, and it wasn't just the cold calculation of chances. He was visibly relaxed in the company of the vampires. To be more precise in the company of the flaxen-haired one. She could see complete almost blind trust there, and that prompted a question. Did they know each other? They had to it seemed. The vampire seemed pretty worried too. From what she knew about vampires they weren't exactly the Good Samaritan types. She let out a sigh.

"Miss Sophie" she heard Vivian say. The girl's voice was barely audible "what do you think is going to happen to us?"

She sighed deeply

"I don't know Vivian" she answered lowly bowing her head. She looked out of the window, and remembered her family. Foucault, Teien, Guardians, Santiago and LeBlanche. She remembered Lady Nimue and her steadfast belief in her. She remembered how she'd promised herself and Vivian that she'd take care of the family in Nimue's place and honour. Her brow creased.

"Hey" she said "I'm sorry sir, but I demand to know where are we going and to know your name"

The vampire raised his eyebrow a little, and she thought she could see a shadow of annoyance flash across his face. She couldn't be sure thought.

"My name is Damian Herondale" he said at length "and we're going to Belgravia. Leader of the London Clan wants to talk to you"

"We won't be going there" she said "I'm sorry. I know you saved our lives but we won't be going there. We'll talk to the leader tomorrow. Now take us to our safe house"

"Listen your brother got badly injured. He needs help" said the vampire, glancing at Lucas worriedly. The young elder, was sitting on the front seat, resting his head against the window.

"I've used Everfight" he said "my wound is healed. I just want to rest. We can talk to Lady Florence tomorrow morning. Please" he added more quietly "it'll be easier that way"

"It still would really be better if someone checked it" argued Damian "just to be on the safe side. And it would be safer for you to be with us. The enemy can send more of people like the three who had attacked you. Or worse. They won't attack a clan leader. They won't attack _me_"

The way he said the last words caused Sophie to knit her eyebrows. She now wondered who he really was. She sure knew vampires were very confident, but it wasn't just confidence she could detect in his tone. She shook her head. She wasn't going to give in.

"We appreciate that" she said "but we'll be fine. We'll use our titans and we can call for Foundation's help. Plus the building is fairly well protected. As to Lucas, we can call doctors too. Foundation healers dealt with worse things. We'll be perfectly fine. Take us home"

Damian sighed. He glanced at her in the mirror. She had pretty determined look on her face. He wouldn't put screaming and calling the police past her by now. He then turned to Lucas. The older male Casterwill was looking at him pleadingly. Probably thinking the same thoughts. The vampire sighed deeply.

"Alright" he said "I'll take you there. But if anything was happening, just call us, and we'll pick you up. And show up tomorrow. Florence _really_ wants to talk to you about this whole thing. It's important"

"Alright" nodded Sophie relaxing a bit but not too much "but now take us home"

"Where?" asked the vampire

"What?" she questioned back. He let out a deep sigh.

"Where are you staying?" he asked "if I'm to take you to the safe house I need to know where it is"

She felt a little blush coming to her cheeks, but fought it down, and told him the address. He turned the car around and in couple of minutes they were there. The moment they stepped out of the car however they felt something was wrong. Terribly wrong. The barrier protecting the house was down. Damian who had also walked out of the car, claiming he wishes to aid Lucas right now moved forward and his step became much more weary. He opened the door with the key Sophie had passed him. They walked inside. They moved into the living room and suddenly saw something move. A second later there was a crash and the shadowy figure jumped out of the window, into the garden running away. Damian made a step forward and then turned to the three Casterwills behind him.

"Now, we are going to Belgravia" he said sternly "take your belongings, pack up and come on"

"But..." started Sophie

"They know where you live, and they can put down your barrier" cut her off the vampire "you're in no way prepared to fight them. You're too exhausted"

The caramelette wished to argue with him, but she knew he was right. They were out and couldn't stay here. She looked back at Lucas. Her brother really didn't look well. Vivian was falling off her feet and looked scared. She wasn't sure about vampire securities, but there were more people there. And people did say that safety was in numbers. Plus she could tell that for whatever reason Damian is not going to take no for an answer at this point. He seemed greatly upset. She let out a sigh.

"Alright" she said "well come with you"

Damian nodded. He waited for them to take their things and they left, entering the car again. They drove away. Not long afterwards they were in Belgravia. They stopped before a tall white building. Damian opened the door for them, and they ascended the small stairs. The door opened at once and a short boy appeared in it. He stepped away, letting them in. They entered, a long, hallway with white walls and marble floor. They put their bags down. Sophie and Vivian begun to unbutton their coats, and afterwards hung them on the silver hangers.

"Her ladyship said that she'll talk with Casterwills tomorrow morning, as it's probably a bit too late now" said the servant boy "she told me to show you to your rooms"

The three Casterwills exchanged looks, but said nothing. They followed the servant down the corridor, and up the marble stairs that lead into second floor. The corridor there looked pretty much like the one downstairs. The leader surely seemed to like Regency era and winter colours. They stopped before one of the doors.

"Here Miss Casterwills" he said opening the door to let the two girls in "your apartments. The bathroom is en suite. I'll bring your bags in a sec"

The girls nodded and saying goodnight to everyone, they closed the door behind them. The boy turned to the other two.

"As for you sir" he said to Lucas "someone is waiting for you"

The Casterwill raised his eyebrow and looked up at his Damian

"Nina" explained the vampire "she came here with me. I've called on our way, here and the others probably told what's happened too. She probably wants to see if you're ok. Henry" he said turning to the servant "how about you go and bring the stuff from downstairs? I'm sure Sophie and Vivian would like their things back. I'll take my son to Nina"

Henry nodded his head and left. Lucas and his father left too, walking down the corridor.

"Thank you for saving us" said Lucas "and for helping my out and all that"

"Don't mention it" shook his head the vampire "you are my son and it's natural that I care about you and protect you. It's my duty" he said putting a hand on his son's shoulder. Lucas felt a warm feeling spread through his body.

"Thanks" he answered. They stopped before Nina's door.

"Well, I'll leave you then" said Damian after a while "goodnight"

With that he bended over and kissed Lucas on the brow before leaving. The caramel-haired young man followed him with his gaze for a while, not knowing what to think of this display of fatherly affections. He wasn't exactly used to it. For most of his life he'd been hunted down, and his stepfather wasn't exactly one for such gestures. Not to his stepson anyway. He shook his head and opened the door, entering the room. His eyes eminently fell upon a young woman with curly brown hair, who was pacing around nervously. As soon as he closed the door she turned around to him and he saw the impatience and anxiousness on her face slowly turn into relief.

"Lucas!" she cried out running up to him and throwing her arms around his neck "thank goodness!"

He at first froze but then returned the embrace, pulling her closer and hiding his face in her rich hair. They stood like this for a while, before the girl pulled away. But only for the arm-length.

"I was so worried about you!" she said "when the clan called saying you've been attacked by those people...and then your father and the news of the assassin in your apartment! I'm so glad to see you! Are you injured?" she asked suddenly scanning him up and down.

He shook his head.

"I've healed the wound, and before that dad stopped the blood flow, so I'm alright" he assured her. She smiled and hugged him again. This time tighter. In that moment there was a knock on the door. They pulled away and Nina went to open the door. It was Henry.

"Luggage" he said walking in and leaving Lucas's bag "night" he added "oh and please if you two are going to have sex, keep it on low level sounds. It's late"

With that he headed out, leaving the two young people blushing madly.

"I'm sorry about that" muttered the brunette "this circle tends to be very blunt about stuff like that and since we're a couple..." she trailed off

He nodded lightly, not really knowing what to say to that. He didn't mind being with her in one room and he was smart enough to know that people would tease them about it, but this time it was different. They not only were in stranger's house, but his father and most importantly his younger sister and cousin were here too. In these circumstances, teasing made him feel even more self-conscious than it usually would.

"I'll go and get dressed" he said at length taking out some stuff from his bag and heading for the bathroom. Nina sighed and sat on the bed. She still felt a little awkward after Henry's comment. She glanced at the bathroom. She was glad Lucas was alive, and it seemed he was healed too. She was happy. She could at last relax. She hadn't a single moment of peace ever since she received first news about the attack. Thought that was a lie. She was a bit nervous and worried ever since she'd heard Lucas came to the town with his sister and Vivian. She just knew they were there to investigate the disappearances and with the information her side had uncovered and the suspicions they had, she couldn't help but worry. She shook her head. There was no point in dwelling upon that. All that'd mattered was that Lucas was now safe and sound under the protection of London Clan. She sighed falling on her back. A second later the bathroom door opened and Lucas stepped out. She looked up. He was dressed in his usual Pjs. A white shirt and loose pants. He gave her a little smile, and sat on the other side of the bed, before getting under the covers. She turned to him to say something but he was already asleep. A small smile made it's away onto her face. She tossed her sweater away and got into the bed, kissing him on the cheek before turning the light off and closing her eyes.

* * *

><p>The room was silent and dark. The only occupant was a tall woman who could be in her late thirties or early forties. She had long dark hair and slightly tilled chin. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she looked out of the large window into the overgrown front garden. She she let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a while. What a mess. What an utter and total mess. And she'd been out of town only for a few weeks. She thought her people can handle it. But it seemed like she was wrong. They've not only abducted completely random people, but also attracted attention of human police, seekers and London Clan, and they've earned an enemy in Grim Ripper. As if it already wasn't bad. She let out a sigh. It really was bad. They really had to hurry now. No more slip ups.<p>

* * *

><p>The dim morning light sept into the room from behind the curtains. Sophie sighed deeply and opened her eyes. Her brow furrowed almost at once. Something was wrong the ceiling above her didn't look right. It wasn't her house and surely not Foundation safe house. She sat up and looked around. She was in a large room with with walls covered in icy-blue wallpaper with white floral damask imprint. In front of her bed, was a white chest of drawers, and right next to it a door. In the left by the window an armchair. There was another door on the left. The tilled floor was partly covered by a big white carpet. Her suitcase and Vivian's backpack were lying by the wall. Vivian herself was sleeping on the other bed, on her left. It was then when she remembered everything that has passed last night. They had gotten into a fight with their mysterious enemy and got saved by Damian Herondale- who had some strange connection to her brother- a powerful vampire with a very dark aura. Then they had discovered that there was an enemy waiting for them in their house, so they had to go to Belgravia, and ended up as guests in the house of London's Clan leader. That reminded her that the vampiress wanted to meet with her today. She quickly got out of the bed. She went up to her suitcase and browsed through her clothes, choosing to take a green Oxford blouse with a matching belt and a knee-length apricot skirt with brown pads at the side. She chose white socks to go with that and went to the bathroom. She quickly got herself ready and flipping her hair behind her back, she returned to the room. Vivian was already awake, also picking her clothing.<p>

"Miss Sophie!" she exclaimed happily

"Hello Vivian" replied the caramelette "you've slept well?"

"Yeah, very well, you?" asked the younger girl

"Same" smiled Sophie "I actually forgot I'm not in Venice"

Vivian returned the smile. In that moment there was a knock on the door and a minute later Henry's head popped in.

"Breakfast is on ready my ladies" he said.

"Thank you" nodded Sophie "we'd be there in a while"

The young man gave her a curt nod and closed the door.

Few minutes later the two girls were in the lower corridor, before the door to the dining room. Sophie pushed the door open. The others were already there, sitting by the table. She recognized some of them, some of them not. There was Damian, who was sitting next to Lucas and a bespectacled girl in blue dress she recognized as Nina Vale. Across of these three sat Lilly in company of four unknown men. The seat at the head of the table on the other hand was occupied by a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and gray eyes. All were lost in conversation-as Sophie soon established- over the disappearances. When the door opened they all turned towards the newcomers, and the blonde woman stood up.

"Hello" she said "I am Florence Tate, and I welcome you in my household. Miss Sophie and Miss Vivian. Please sit down"

Sophie bowed her head saying her greetings as well. She decided she quite liked Florence. The woman was distinguished, elegant and very proper. Just like a lady and leader should be. She and Vivian sat down then, near Lucas and Nina. The two men who'd been sitting by Lilly smiled.

"Hello" said one of them, a tall man with brown skin and big brown eyes "my name is Ahmed, and this is my friend and partner James" he added pointing at his neighbour, a middle-aged man with short brown hair. He was also paler than Ahmed.

"Pleasure to meet you" he said nodding

"We are sort of in charge of the investigation" continued Ahmed "that is we found a few bodies and first got the hint that something magical is at work, so we ended up working on it"

"And they're doing magnificent job" said Nina smiling "best example for all clans everywhere"

The two men sent small smiles her way

"Well m'lady" said James "we try our best, and we are the best"

"Anyhow" said Ahmed turning his big brown eyes to Sophie "Miss Casterwill, we hear that you've got interested in the case as well. So what have you found out?"

Sophie nodded slowly for a while wondering if she should disclose anything. She knew these people were on her side, Nina's presence here and her brother's unusual ease told her they can probably be trusted, but she still hesitated. She knew other Casterwills, especially Foucault or Rune Guardians might not see it the same way. She let out a sigh. She could tell...after all it wasn't like these informations were CALSSIFIED PER SE. Anyone could've found out, really. She slowly started to tell her tale. The people around the table nodded their heads, confirming they've found the same. They also told Sophie that most of the victims were from Ireland, either directly either at least of Irish heritage. What was even more important and ground breaking was the fact that most of them had psychic powers or were at least rumoured to have them OR were even legit members of magical world such as fays or enchantresses. Sophie therefore shared her discovery of the tattoo.

"Do you have it?" asked James "I mean the picture of it?"

She nodded and excusing herself went to her room, returning a while later with the picture. James and Ahmed looked at it just once and nodded their heads

"Yep" said the former "that's defiantly, Irish fay tattoo, and it's a legit thing too not a mortal copy"

"So" said Nina "these people are looking for an Irish fay, with possible psychic powers..."

"Looks like it" nodded Ahmed "or a group of people with such powers but given more and more are missing and they haven't really perused the ones who ran away, just left them on the streets it seems it's one particular person"

"But if that's true we need to find them, before the bad guys do" said Sophie "who knows what they'll do to them"

"But with how vast the magical world is, that is not going to be easy" said Damian

"We'll need help" said Nina "and fast. Sophie is right. Whatever these guys have planned it's nothing good"

* * *

><p><strong>Heathrow airport.<strong>

Siobhan walked out of the airport into the fresh air. She finally was in London.

"It's going to be fun, eh?" asked one of her classmates smiling broadly. The redhead nodded returning the gesture. It was defiantly going to be an interesting week.

* * *

><p><strong>It did look better in my head. The conversation between Sophie and others went a little bit on the bad side, but I can't really come up with any other way. Sorry everyone.<strong>

**Anyhow, I'll probably won't post next chapter so fast so Merry Christimas to you all :)**


	4. Of Truths and Visions

**Venice, Italy **

Lok was sitting in his room bored to death. Den was out with Harrison and Sophie was once more on some Casterwill mission, so he couldn't see her. Not that he saw her often anyway. She always was so busy with her family stuff and research. He let out a sigh. Sure when she'd put their relationship on hold all those years back he'd expected that they'd spend less time together, but he still hadn't expected that it would be this bad. He'd still thought they'd still see each other, still go on missions. And at first it had been like this. During first six moths of his leadership Sophie had been there, but later she appeared less and less, accepting missions from family, learning powers. It a month or so she became a rare guest and when the school rolled in, her appearance was almost like a holiday. Speaking of school, he'd seen her rarely even there. She always disappeared in the library during breaks and there were some days where she'd miss school too. Normally that would mean trouble, but since she was an honour student and had all good grades teachers allowed her some liberties. She'd always make up for her absences. And she'd done some classes on individual course. With all this, he'd almost forgotten how she looks like and how her voice sounds like. His eyes glassed over with tears. They were becoming strangers. He tried to deny it but this was the truth. They were drifting away from one another. Suddenly he heard a loud ring. He let out a sigh and reached for his Holotome. He opened it and Dante's face appeared on it.

"Lok" greeted the amber-eyed man

"Hi Dante" he answered smiling a bit "what's up?"

"I have a mission for you" said his old mentor "well Foundation has actually"

Lok's face lit up. He rarely got missions during school year and he could use some exercise, to kill the boredom and to get his mind of his fading relationship with Sophie.

"What is it?" he asked therefore. Dante was silent for a moment.

"Has Sophie told you anything about her mission? Like where she goes or what it's about?" he asked. The young Lambert furrowed his brow. What was all that about? He had bad feelings about it.

"No" he said slowly "she didn't. We didn't have too many chances to talk lately, with school and all, why?"

Dante then proceeded to explain about the disappearances in London, and how Casterwills and Foundation got interested in it.

"However" he went on "it seems like the case is a bit more dangerous than they've previously thought. Sophie, Lucas and Vivian had been viciously attacked yesterday night, and later their house had been plundered by an assassin"

Lok's face ashed at these words. Thousands of worst case scenarios filled his head.

"Is she alright?" he asked hastily, almost breathlessly

"Yes" calmed him his mentor "they've been saved in last moment by Damian. Nina's champion" he added quickly "he took hem to London Clan's headquarters and they're all safe and sound there"

The blond let out a sigh of relief.

"And let me guess" he said "Foundation and Casterwills want my team there?"

Dante nodded

"Pretty much so" he said "we need more people on the scene and you are by the far the best active seeker Foundation has. Plus you're the Casterwill Champion so they trust you the most to keep Sophie safe and work with her. Not to mention you're still officially on team with her"

The younger seeker let out a sigh. Yeah officially. But this gloom soon disappeared, overtaken by worry and dutifulness. He had a mission, there was no time to think bitter thoughts. Plus this was a chance to spend some time with Sophie.

"I'm on it" he said seriously. Dante nodded smiling.

"Just be careful" he warned "this might not be seekers work, so keep your eyes open and work with the others there"

"Got it" nodded the blonde.

* * *

><p><strong>London, England<strong>

Sophie let out a deep sigh, glancing at the room to her brother's door. She needed to talk to him. She wanted and needed answers, to all of her yesterday's questions, such as how did he now Damian, how did he know all the vampires and what was the deal with Nina. Sure, she'd known he and Nina knew each other, they've met on the First Victory Ball, organized by Foundation to celebrate the fall of Blood Spirals and return of Casterwill family(which included her taking over as a leader too). But she was still surprised that these two got together or even got along. She was well aware that Nina didn't like Casterwills. Dante had told her so, and the nephelim although polite didn't show much will in making the relationship something more than casual cool diplomacy. With all that her closeness to Lucas was simply unreal. Sophie shook her head and knocked on the door. It was time to find out the answers.

"Come in" sounded her brother's voice. She pushed the door open. She was in luck. He was alone.

"Lucas" she spoke up.

"Sophie? What is it?" he asked

"I wanted to ask you a few questions Lucas" she said "I'm not going to beat about the bush. What is going on?"

He blinked a little surprised

"What do you mean?" he questioned

"What's up with the vampires and that Damian guy, and Nina?" she asked furrowing her brow at him "you all seem to be so tight at close. When Damian saved us yesterday you just came with him, no questions asked. You're not like that. You're one of most distrustful people I know. You've taken a long time to warm up to Dante and Lok, even though you saw them with me and knew they had my trust. But here? You seemed to be at ease with this guy. And then you mentioned Lady Florence, so casually, and you didn't distrust any of the people here. And you're staying in one room, not to mention BED with Nina. I might know you just for three years, but I do know you're not a ladies man. You're not someone who easily warms up to people, and Nina dislikes Casterwills. So what the hell is going on?"

Lucas let out a deep sigh.

"I knew you'd ask me that" he muttered "I was going to tell you all of this sooner but there never was a time, nor opportunity to do so. Maybe I'll start with Nina. Yes, we are together, despite her dislike for Casterwills. Well it's not as much as dislike as grudge. She has her reasons and she mostly dislikes particular people in our family. I guess in same manner she likes me. She's been nice to me ever since we met on that ball. She'd talked to me a lot, and carried on with the contact, and somehow we ended up as a couple. She's really sweet and understanding, you know"

Her eyes flashed with resentment. She felt a little cheated and sad. He'd kept this all secret from her! Again.

"Why haven't you tell me?" she demanded

"I've already told you. There was no importunity. We don't see each other often and when we do, there is no time and we don't discuss relationship much. I didn't want to start this out of the blue"

"And Damian? And vampires?" she pressed

"Vampires. Knowing Nina and being with her I got to meet few of the most powerful and prominent members of her world. Plus there is a law that says that magical people and non-humans, such as me, have to report to the clan, when they cross their borders. The leader is the one to sign the papers so, that's how I know about Lady Florence"

"and you know Damian, through Nina too?" she asked. He let out a sigh.

"Yeah, but there is a little more to it that that" he said at length. She could tell he was nervous and she wondered why. The last time he'd been like this was when he confessed to her that he was a half vampire. And then the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"He's your father!" she breathed. She didn't know what she couldn't believe more. The sole fact that Damian was her brother's father and they were so close, or that she hadn't caught up on it sooner. Because thinking of it now they were quite similar. They had the same eyes, and they even had similar facial features. They moved in similar way and sometimes they sounded like each other too. But mostly of all the clue was in Damian being a vampire. The two facts of his race and the closeness to her brother should've told her that. It was so obvious. But then again she'd been so scared and confused back then, that she didn't really think about it. But why haven't Lucas and Damian told her everything back then? It would've made things easier. Why haven't her brother told her about his father? Why had he left his one out? She felt hurt and betrayed again. He'd been keeping secrets. Once more. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Why haven't you said anything?" she asked with resentment "why haven't you told me streaming away Lucas? Why do you always keep secrets from me? And don't give me that bull shit about protecting me! Because what protecting is there, in information about your father? What harm would've that done to me? What dangers would it bring? You told me he wouldn't hurt me and all vampires are under Dante's orders so I'm safe..."

Lucas sighed again and his uncomfortable increased. He bowed his head.

"I didn't know how to tell you" he muttered "It's not an easy topic for me. I've had great difficulties telling you I'm a damphir. You've never really been into this world Sophie, you've grown up on tales of titans and seekers as sole explanation for all things supernatural. I've told you this when I came out as non-human. Mortals, even seekers can freak out. I didn't know how to tell you the rest. The story of my father...it's not as simple as you think. I beg you to leave it. I've come to terms with it but you..."

"I can take it" she said boldly. She wanted to know "I want to know everything"

He let out a sigh. He clearly didn't want to say anything, but she wasn't going to give up.

"Tell me Lucas or I'll ask somebody else" she warned "I'll ask everyone I can, if I have to. Tell me"

"Alright" said Lucas "better me than strangers I guess. You see our grandmother and your father, one day decided that family would need someone, a protector. So they decided that first born child shall be a damphir. There was one way about it however, and that was for our mother to give birth to one. She didn't have much say in this I'm afraid. It was just decided. For the good of the family. She started to meet with my father, and then I was born. My dad came around once in a while, mostly in secret but I think your father had future meetings in mind. When my powers start to show.."

She listened to him and the turmoil in her heart and mind grew. She couldn't comprehend it. Her mother slept with another man, to bore a child that was going to be family's protector and all of this was arranged? She couldn't believe it. Sure she knew that in history queens and women were pretty much bearers of the heir and had to bore a healthy and good one and when the king was defected then a lover had to be found, but she never ever thought that her family would do such a thing. And in modern times too! Her family was supposed to be noble and good, and not so calculating and treating their own as objects! Her father wasn't like that! Her grandmother wasn't like that! LeBlanche told her how great seekers they were. They couldn't come up with such an idea!

"No!" she cried as tears welled up in her eyes "I refuse to believe it! It's not true!"

"Sophie..." started Lucas meekly

"NO!" she cried "don't talk to me!"

With that she turned around and sped out of the room, leaving her elder half sibling in the room with bowed head.

* * *

><p>Lucas watched his sister go, and felt his heart break into million pieces. He never wished anything of this to happen. That's why he kept his identity secret and his true father a secret. He let out a sigh. He knew she'd react like this when he tells her. And that wasn't even the whole truth. He omitted many things, like the fact that not whole family but she was the reason he was a damphir, or that her father didn't love their mother, that the man abused him through whole childhood and that their mother fell in love with his father and planned to runaway with him. He left all of it out, and seeing her reaction he knew that this would need to stay a mystery for a little longer. If not forever.<p>

"Is everything alright?" he heard a soft voice from the door. He looked up and saw his father standing there "I just saw your sister rushing off angry and in tears. Have you two been fighting?"

"No...not exactly" said Lucas at length "she just wanted some answers. She's noticed that we're close and that I'm ok with vampiress, so she had some questions. I had to answer them and that led to difficult confessions. You know, about you being my dad and about my step father's and grandmothers schemes and all that. Sophie had...had different views of our family life. She grew up on what LeBlanche had told her, and he'd been just a caretaker of one of country homes...this...I think my revelations crushed her image..."

He bowed his head again, and suddenly felt his father putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up. His father smiled a little.

"I'm sure she'll come around. She did after you've told her you're a half vampire right? She didn't break all contact with you or anything, right?" he asked.

Lucas shook his head

"No she didn't, it took her some time but she came around. I think it was partly due to Dante being a half-vampire and Zhalia a werecat"

"She'll come around" assured him his father once more, lightly squeezing his arm.

"I do hope so" he sighed.

* * *

><p>Sophie was sitting in her room watching out of the window. She still was in turmoil, all the information she got from her brother. It was just too much. She clenched her fists. She just couldn't believe all this. It was in such contradiction with all her dreams. In that moment she heard a knock on the door, and a second later they opened.<p>

"Lady Sophie" said Henry bringing her attention to himself "I'm sorry to intrude upon you, but there is someone who wishes to see you. Very much"

She blinked

"If it's my brother tell him I'm not in the mood" she said coldly

"It's not your brother" said Henry "it's someone else, a friend of yours from Huntik Foundation. He really wishes to see you right now, he seems very anxious"

Her brow furrowed. A friend from foundation? Could he mean Lok or Den? She let out a sigh. She didn't feel like seeing anyone, but maybe Lok's and Den's presence will take her mind of things. She haven't seen them for ages. She nodded.

"Tell him he can come in" she said. These words barely left her mouth when Lok entered the room. He imminently ran up to her and hugged her tightly.

"Sophie I was so worried! Dante told me someone wanted to kill you! Are you ok?" he asked pulling away. She smiled a little. His worry made her feel better.

"Yes, I'm fine" she said "but what are you doing here? Did you come just because I've been attacked yesterday?"

"Well" he smiled "a little, but no. mainly I'm here because Huntik Foundation has sent me and Den to help you out with this mission. After this attack they've decided you might need backup because it's getting serious"

She nodded understanding him. There was a silence for a while, before the blonde spoke up.

"So..." he said a bot sheepishly "I've kind of overheard what you've said to Henry...you know about not wanting to see Lucas. Mind telling me why? I know it's sort of none of my business but I remember how it was three years ago, he isn't back to his old ways is he? Has he said or done anything to hurt you?" I mean...you don't have to say anything, but...I'm ready to hear you out and support you. You know I'm always on your side"

She let out a sigh before telling him everything that's passed.

"And I really don't know" she confessed "I don't know what do do or think about it. It's just...I can't believe anyone in my family would've done something like this. LeBlanche told me so many things about my parents and grandmother. The picture Lucas paints is so contradicting"

She shook her head. Lok smiled at her warmly in response and put his arm around her shoulder in a comforting way.

"Hey it's gonna be ok" he assured "I know it's difficult finding out new things, but you can do it. You braved through novelties before, remember? You've been through whole this thing with discovering your family's secrets and becoming a leader, and with a strong opposition too! Then you've won a war and you've begun finding out more. You're brave through this too"

She couldn't help but smile at him, and nod her head a little. He returned the smile, grinning with all his teeth showing.

"But let's go downstairs" he said after a second "Den is waiting there and so is Cherit. They're both dying to see you too, and we better get there before they get into another fight over the cookies"

Sophie giggled at the image of the boy and the little gargoyle chasing one another for a cookie. Her mood lightened up considerably.

"Let's go" she agreed, walking alongside her boyfriend out of her room.

* * *

><p><em>A shape. A tall shape stands over her bed at the other side of the room. Soon two others join it. They're all dressed in jackets with hoods. One of them jumps forward at her, catching her. She tries to fight and scream but they put a hand on her mouth silencing her as they put a bag over her head...<em>

Siobhan sat up in bed with a sharp gasp, and her hand flew to her chest. She looked around panting heavily. The room was empty. There was nobody there. She let out a sigh and fell on her bed. She was having this strange vision ever since she came to London two days ago, and she still couldn't figure it out. She hated it. She knew she was in danger, but from whom and when will it happen? It would be so much easier for her to avoid it. She sighed again. And how to avoid it? She couldn't exactly tell teachers about it. She had a strong feeling they're not going to believe her and put it to nightmares and fright over the news they've heard about few kidnappings. She turned around in her bed, lying now on her side and staring at the wall. What was she to do?

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><p><strong>And yet another chapter gone. Yes Siobhan is happening two days after. I think you can guess who the villains are looking for by now. As I said this is inspirited by first volume of Infernal Devices.<strong>


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